If you grow your own basil, you know it is taking over the world faster than Pinterest.

We planted five basil plants about a month ago, and I could open my own pesto factory before too long.

So, when a friend came to spend the day with us on Sunday after a difficult month, I wanted to nurture her with some yard-to-plate cooking and make the most of our bumper crop.

I also wanted to spend the day with her, doing fun things, not stirring pots in the kitchen.

The beautiful thing about fresh pasta (in this case, angel hair), is that it is a blank canvas to be brought to life after any trip to a farmer’s market or produce stand.

For me, that meant sauteing in olive oil sliced orange cherry tomatoes from the Collingswood Farmer’s Market and a handful of already-roasted garlic from Wegmans’ olive bar. A sprinkle of parmigiano reggiano, a thick slab of burrata and a confetti toss of torn basil leaves. Done!

We paired our pasta with sweet corn and some watermelon topped with fresh mint, which so far hasn’t gotten squeezed out by our basil jungle.

Very little clean up, some yummy leftovers for work lunches and, best of all, plenty of time with my friend. Which, in addition to wonderful produce, is what summer is all about.